Mortar bed forms for interengaging wall units



Feb. 5, 1963 H. 'SUNUKJIAN 3,076,245

MORTAR BED FORMS FOR INTERENGAGING WALL UNITS Original Filed Feb. 1a, 1958 lel- zzocKs ATTORNEY United States MORTAR BED FORMS FOR INTERENGAGING WALL UNITS Haxg Sunukjian, Troy, N.Y., assignor to James Haig, Inc.,

. Troy, N.Y., a corporation of New York Original application Feb. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 715,959, new Patent No. 3,012,377, dated Dec. 12, 1961. Divided and this application July 11, 1961, Ser. No. 123,251

1 Claim. (Cl. 25-118) each surface of which is a rectangle andv all surfaces are either parallel or at right angles toeach other. The other type of building block or unit commonly used is the socalled cement block or cinder block, this block having only two planular, uninterrupted faces, two of the other faces of this block have grooves therein, and the remaining two faces are penetrated by openings which extend entirely through the block.

While these bricks and blocks have been widely used, they are not readily usable by unskilled persons, it being most diflicult to one not familiar with the art of bricklaying to place the'p'r'o'per amount of mortar on the surfaces of the" bricks orcinder'blocks to result in a wall which is true, i.e., a wall which is planular and in which each course of brick or cinder block is level. Thus, those not skil'le'd with 'the' art of laying bricks oftenfind that they have constructed a wall which is undulating, or in which there is a rise or fall in'a course of bricks or blocks.

There are known in the prior art building block configurations which attempt to overcome the above-noted difficulties by providing for interengagement between the bricks. However, the prior art attempts to solve the problem have resulted in building blocks which either interfitted with each other so closely that no mortar was deemed necessary, or else they resulted in blocks of unique shape modified on many surfaces of the generally parallelepipedal configuration and thus necessitating much new equipment in the manufacture and handling of this type of building unit. Those bricks which fitted together so that no mortar was deemed necessary were objectionable on the basis that many building codes require the use of mortar between bricks, so that such building units were completely incompatible with existing building codes. In addition, prior art attempts failed to provide a simply shaped building unit which provided for interengagement between an upper and a lower course, and also between adjacent blocks in the same course. A primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel mortar bed form including means facilitating erection of a wall of the character involved in applicant's United States Letters Patent 3,012,377.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novel mortar bed form which includes means for striking of a uniformly thick layer of mortar on a ground block, and means for positively orienting the form on the blocks as well as providing a mortar relief space adjacent the male key of a block cooperating with the one upon which mortar is being deposited.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

atent O FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of my new mortar bed form with built-in mask for masking the interlocking grooves in the bricks or blocks.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through a fragment of a vertical wall with mortar bed form shown in FIG. 1 in position ready to receive mortar.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the mortar bed form removed after the mortar has been applied with the use thereof.

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of another mortar bed form specifically adapted for use at corners.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the mortar bed form 200 comprises a rectangular frame having parallel tall side plates 201 which fit over the sides of the bricks or blocks 70, short end plates 202 which are adapted to extend over the top of the bricks or blocks 70, and a centrally located masking member 203 which overlies and fully covers the grooves 70 in the tops of the bricks or blocks 70, and a narrower depending element 204 for registration with the interior of said grooves.

The frame or side and end plates 201 and 202, respectively form an uninterrupted, upper, coplanar, marginal edge 210 which is in coplanar relation with the upper planar surface 212 of the masking member 203. The masking member 203 includes mutually parallel side edges 214 and 216 in substantially parallel relation 'to side plates 201. V

The end plates 202 have lower coplanar edges which are disposed above the lower surface 218 of the masking member 203. The lower surface 218 of the masking member 203 is parallel to the upper surface 212 of the masking member and provide inwardly of the edges 214 and 216 support surfaces for-engaging flush on the upper surface of the blocks 70 outwardly of the grooves 70'. The depending member 204 includes spaced parallel side edges 220 and 222 which are normal to lower surface 218 and disposed inwardly of the side edges 214 and 216, respectively, and the lower surface 224 of the member 204 will substantially bottom in the grooves 70'; see FIG. 2.

The depending member 204 substantially conforms to the shape of the grooves 70, and the overhang of the masking member, as clearly seen in FIG. 2 will provide a mortar relief portion as indicated at 226 in the upper portion of FIG. 3. The relief portion 226 provides a space into which the mortar M may readily move to facilitate the laying of a course of blocks as seen in. FIGS. 2 and 3.

When the mortar bed form 200 is disposed in the position shown in FIG. 2, a trowel or the like may readily be used to strike off excess mortar in a single pass over the edge 210 and upper surface 212 of the masking member. The relief 226 is automatically formed in the layer of mortar M upon which a keyed block 70 is to be laid, and the male key 70" can be readily inserted into a groove 70' of an underlying, previously laid block 70. The depending portion 204 will orient the form 200 in its proper position, and the mason using the mortar bed form and laying a wall of the character in which this invention is used, does not necessarily have to have the degree of skill normally required when laying bricks or blocks without the keying portions.

Referring to FIG. 4, the mortar bed form adapted to be used for the corner of a wall comprises an angular frame including tall side plates 205 arranged at right angles to each other and a generally W-shaped short plate connected to the outer ends of said tall plates 205, the interior legs 206 of the W being parallel to the corresponding plates 205 and the outer legs 206' of the W being perpendicular thereto. A centrally located L-shaped masking member 207 is supported by said frame so as to completely overlay and cover the grooves in upper surfaces of the bricks and blocks forming a corner of the wall. Depending from said masking memher 207 is a corresponding L-shaped narrower element or depending member 208 which registers with the interior of said grooves. The mortar bed form of FIG. 4 is essentially the same as that of FIGS. 1-3, it being noted that the members 203 and 204 when considered as a single unit have a T-shaped cross section as do the members 207 and 208.

The masking members 203, 207 and 204, 208 are secured inv the frames in any suitable manner, for example, by means of rivets 228 in FIG. 1, and suitable support braces 230 may be used as shown in FIG. 4..

Briefly, the form of FIG. 4 includes an uninterrupted upper marginal edge 210', the masking member 207 includes a planar upper surface 212, and the masking and depending members 207 and 208, respectively have the same relationship with side plate 205 and end plates 206' as does the members 203 and 204, respectively, with respect to end plate 202 and one of the side plates 201.

It'will be apparent that applicant has provided a relatively simple and economical mortar bed form which is used in a system by which one having a minimum of skill in the art of bricklaying can construct a true or plumb wall using a minimum of mortar and leaving relief spaces to accommodate keying of cooperating blocks as well as orienting the form in its proper position of use.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit'of the invention and thereforethe invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A mortar bed form comprising a frame of a closed geometrical figure including a coplanar, uninterrupted upper marginal edge, at least one planar side plate and two planar end plates normal to said side plate, said end plates being of a height less than said side plate and having lower coplanar edges, an elongated masking and depending member having a T-shaped cross section and secured in said frame at least at one end in abutting relationship to the inner surface of one of said end plates and extending parallel to and substantially the length of said side plate, said masking member comprising an upper surface coplanar with said coplanar, uninterrupted upper marginal edge of said frame for permitting uninterrupted movement of a mortar-striking-off tool over said uninterrupted upper marginal edge and upper surface to strike off the surface of deposited mortar disposed between the masking member and said side plate, said masking member including an undersurface portion parallel to the uninterrupted, upper marginal edge of said frame and disposed below the lower, coplanar edges of said end plates, the undersurface portion of said masking member inwardly of the side edges of said masking member providing means for resting on the upper planar surface of a longitudinally grooved block for orienting and supporting the mortar bed form on said blocks, said depending member including a portion having a substantially rectangular cross section and including side edges parallel to said side plate and disposed inwardly of opposite parallel sides of said masking member and depending below the lower coplanar edges of said side plates for keyed receipt in the longitudinal groove of the block upon which mortar is to be deposited, the overlap of said masking member with respect to said rectangular portion of said depending member defining a relief portion whereby mortar poured between said masking member and said side plate will not pass to accordingly provide a space into Which mortar will move when a keyed block is laid on a layer of mortar oriented by said mortar bed form.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,679,007 Reagan July 31, 1928 2,462,644 Kimura Feb. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 263,257 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1926 443,738 Italy Jan. 3, 1949 43,012 Sweden Aug. 29, 1917 

